Reactor Review: Wonder Woman

At long last, Wonder Woman, the Amazon Princess, is finally starring in her own movie. Since her last appearance in the Batman v Superman movie, many Wonder Woman fans have been excited to see her own solo film. While it may have taken over 75 years for this movie to be made, the wait for Wonder Woman fans will be over on June 2, when the Wonder Woman movie is released. The film is directed by Patty Jenkins and stars Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, David Thewlis and Connie Nielsen.

I was able to attend at the World Premiere screening of Wonder Woman last week in Los Angeles, at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre. This gave me the privilege to meet the stars on the blue carpet and see the movie early; and here’s my review of the movie.

Themyscira was created by Zeus as a sanctuary to bring peace for the Amazonian women, and to stop them from being enslaved by Ares as army for war. This occurred during a major battle, where Zeus had fallen against Ares.r. The Amazonians have sworn to stay and live on Themyscira, and to never be involved with humanity or the outside world.

Since then, many years have passed. Diana was born and and lived on Themyscira her entire life, training with the rest of the female Amazonian warriors. She was expected to be the best Amazonian warrior under the leadership of her mother, Queen Hippolyta. One day, she found and rescued someone from the shore of the sea, who turned out to be a man from the outside world. Diana learned that the man she found was Steve Trevor, who was an Air Captain of the United States. Steve was then interrogated by the Amazonians, using the lasso of truth, where it was discovered that Steve was a spy who had stolen a book from the Germans, containing information on chemical mass destruction created by Dr. Poison. Steve then told them that he had to return back to the human world, as there was a war going on that had to be stopped. After suspecting that the war may be caused by Ares, Diana decided that she must leave Themyscira and enter the human world to fight the ongoing war and to bring peace. She took the God Killer Sword and the Lasso of Truth; but before she could leave, Hippolyta tried to stop Diana from going. However, Diana convinced her mother that it was her duty to stop this war of Ares’. Hippolyta believed in Diana, and so she allowed her to go with Steve Trevor to stop the war.

The movie shows Wonder Woman’s origin and mythos from the comic, while still being respectful to the original source materials. Those who are new to Wonder Woman will enjoy learning about her backstory through the movie; and those who are loyal fans will be satisfied with her origin finally being told on the movie screen. The film has good and interesting story-telling that is strong and engaging (something which Batman V Superman wasn’t able to do successfully).

While the movie’s setting takes place during the World War I era in London, it does help gives a sense of a Golden Age comic book, defining Wonder Woman’s story without the need to modernize it; it is still relevant in today’s world.

You will also appreciate the visual effects the movie has to offer. Set during wartime, you’ll get a sense of what it was like to be on a battlefield during that era. The only difference is that you will experience the battle with Wonder Woman, as she dominates the battlefield through Gal Gadot’s performance.

Gal Gadot is spectacular as Wonder Woman; she has made a great impact on the character as a whole. What makes her character more interesting is that her role is that of a ‘fish out of a water’ in a ‘man’s’ world, but she is still able to demonstrate her strong beliefs regarding women’s rights and equality for everyone. Gal’s dynamic with Chris Pine is great, as each of their characters needs to learn something new about each other’s world traditions. Additionally, Gal Gadot’s dynamic with Connie Nielsen demonstrates the importance of her mother-daughter relationship, and her heritage as an Amazonian warrior.

In the end, this is the Wonder Woman movie we have all been wanting to see for a long time. The Wonder Woman movie is reminiscent of the classic Superman (1978) and Batman (1989) films, and will inspire many as do the other iconic heroes we know today. This movie will empower all viewers to be as strong and courageous as Wonder Woman. This film will satisfy long time Wonder Woman fans, and will of course inspire more viewers to be fans of the Amazon princess.

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